Beyond the Bars, Breaking Barriers Towards Digital Inclusion: Family Visits Through ICT-based “e-Dalaw” as Innovation in the Reformation

Program of the Maximum Security Inmates of the New Bilibid Prisons, Philippines

Marjorie Don Resuello, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines Rosario V. Tatlonghari, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines

The Asian Conference on Society, Education & Technology 2014 Official Conference Proceedings

Abstract Information Communication Technologies (ICT) have become pervasive in many cultures. The Internet is now being called “Relationship Technology” for making connections possible, breaking barriers of time and distance and foster social and digital inclusion. The Philippines’ Correctional System through the Bureau of Corrections has piloted a project called “e-Dalaw” in line with modern reformation concepts on the visiting system. It is an ICT-based program for the inmates which has a goal of enabling them to connect to their families locally or abroad. The study, with the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) Theory as framework, determined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of selected inmates of the Maximum Security Compound in the New Bilibid Prison and their problems with e-Dalaw. Data were collected through a survey of 330 inmates and key informant interviews/ The respondents had average level of knowledge on e-Dalaw, mainly through social influence in UTAUT. The most perceived usefulness or outcome expectations of the respondents on e-Dalaw were happiness. Its perceived ease of use or effort expectancy was complicated and assistance was needed. The facilitating conditions that need improvement were availability of more material resources. Using Behavior Change Communication, the results of the study revealed that the inmates who were satisfied with e-Dalaw promoted the behavior to their social network. Chi-Square Test of Independence indicated hat knowledge had significant relationship with attitude, and between knowledge and practices of e-Dalaw. The socio-demographic characteristic “last visitation received” was the most significant factor affecting knowledge on e-Dalaw. Keywords: inmates; prison reformation; e-Dalaw; visitation; social inclusion; digital inclusion

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Introduction New media revolutionized people’s mode of acquiring knowledge and ways of living (Flichy, 1999). Kramarae (1999) declared that as people use new media in new ways, new terminologies develop; for example, for making connections possible across time and space, the internet is referred to as the new “Relationship Technology” instead of Information Technology (IT). Such relationships and deprivation thereof led to the concept of social inclusion and social exclusion being equated with Information Communication Technologies (ICT) or ICTs. Haddon (2000) expounded on the relationship of ICTs and social inclusion, with ICTs enabling people to participate, be part of the wider society, and avoiding social isolation, which is the essence of social inclusion. Sy (2001) highlighted ICT’s role in the Philippine context with social interactions increasingly becoming mediated. This might explain why the Philippines has recently been declared as Social Networking Capital of the World (Manila Standard, 2013). With social inclusion being prominent in European policy spheres, it is no wonder that e-inclusion is being vigorously promoted in the continent. E-Inclusion aims at achieving that “no one is left behind” in enjoying the benefits of ICT (e-inclusion, Be Part of It, 2012). Focusing on participation of all individuals and communities in all aspects of the information society, e-Inclusion means both inclusive ICT and the use of ICT to achieve wider inclusion objectives. In relation to how people appropriate and use ICTs, understanding the concept of digital inclusion helps to understand the routes to social inclusion. Thomas and Wyatt (2000) as cited by Bure (2005) claimed that digital inclusion involves not just access to ICTs, but also “ICT capability.” The United Nations considers ICT access as among the basic human rights. Democratized reach and access target the marginalized groups, and inmates have benefitted from these initiatives. The United Kingdom government launched the action plan Delivering Digital Inclusion which has a strategy to ensure that the benefits of digital technology were spread equally to all groups and communities (Prison Reform Trust, 2009). It reported that there are considerable opportunities to extend IT services in prison, which can assist in reducing reoffending. Prison programs have the primary purpose to assist the inmates in preparing them for their return to the society (Howsera, Grossmanb, & Macdonald, 2008). In the Philippines, the Bureau of Corrections initiated the e-Dalaw, which means electronic visitation (of inmates’ families) in English. This is within the principle of providing humane treatment by affording the inmates human basic needs in the prison environment, prohibiting cruel methods and providing a variety of rehabilitation program. The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) had a study about the effects of prison visitation on recidivism among 16,420 offenders. The results suggested that prison visitation can significantly improve the transition inmates make from the institution to the community. Also, the results suggested that both the presence and frequency of prison visits during the last year of confinement were associated with reduced recidivism. Thus, an inmate’s capability to cope with the substantial emotional, economic, legal, and other challenges they face during incarceration is determined through the extent to which they are able to maintain contacts with individuals on the outside in which visitation is the primary link (Sitren, 2009).

With family relationships being sustained, the use of ICTs through e-dalaw in prison reform takes the social inclusion/digital inclusion dimension. Interest has been actually increasing in the area of new technologies being implemented in prisons and jails, specifically in the area of visitation and the need for avenues through which the family support system and the reintegration of inmates back into the community could be improved during incarceration (Johnson & Hesse, 2005). This innovation thus merits a study on the perception of inmates of such technology. While the concept is socially relevant in terms of fostering family ties amid imprisonment of a family member, it necessitates research investigation on the use of technology and its acceptance in the prison setting. e-Dalaw is a new facility in line with modern reformation concepts on the visiting system. It is an ICT-based program for the inmates which has a goal of enabling them to connect to their families locally or abroad without leaving the jail through supervised Internet video calls. Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) launched the e-Dalaw project last October 2011 in the Quezon City Jail, the pilot jail of this project, and was also introduced in the New Bilibid Prison (Aurelio, 2011). It is one of the Bureau of Corrections’ (BuCor) efforts to fulfill its mandate to reform the inmates. BuCor is a government agency under the Corrections pillar of the Philippine Criminal Justice System, which is supervised by the Department of Justice. As stated in its Road Map “Strategic Plan: BuCor 2022,” reformation is designed to “help ensure that as inmates are released, they will be productive, healthy, and less likely to be in conflict with the law again.” As stated in the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (n.d.), “Prisoners shall be allowed under necessary supervision to communicate with their family and reputable friends at regular intervals, both by correspondence and by receiving visits.” As one of the stakeholders of prison reform, the inmates’ families can help in the rehabilitation process of the inmates. Visitation has rehabilitative benefits for the inmates and it can reduce strains on the inmates' relations with their families and can help in the inmates' post-release success (Gordon & McConnell, 1999). This study can provide a baseline assessment of e-Dalaw in the Philippines and address the dearth of literature on technology assessment and acceptance in prisons, particularly those under Maximum Security. Determining the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of this sector and their recommendations would hopefully help bring about areas for further improvement in order to maximize the full potentials of this ICT-based reformation program for inmates. Objectives This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the selected inmates of the Maximum Security Compound in the New Bilibid Prison regarding e-Dalaw. The relationship of the residents’ socio-demographic characteristics to their knowledge, attitudes, and practices were also established. It also assessed the problems the inmates encountered in using e-Dalaw; and elicited the inmates’ recommendations for the improvement of e-Dalaw.

Theoretical Framework Silva (2006 as cited by Silva and Dais 2007) highlighted the importance of not having only a technical view, but to understand the behavior of who will use information systems. Predicting and analyzing user acceptance of computer technology are important to address success and failure of technological products. Information systems (IS) adoption is just the first step towards overall IS success. It can be truly considered a success when significant number of users has moved beyond initial adoption and used IS on a continued basis (Bhattacherjee (2001), Davis and Venkatesh (2004) and Limayem and Hirt (2003) as cited by Cheung and Limayem, (n.d.)).

To understand the IT acceptance of the inmates in the Maximum Security Compound in the New Bilibid Prison, the theoretical framework of the study utilized the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) Theory. UTAUT suggested three constructs – performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence – as main determinants of intention to use an IT which comprise the most influential constructs of the eight theories and models (Venkatesh, et. al., 2003 as cited by Li, n.d.).

Performance expectancy refers to the “degree to which the user expects that using the system will help him or her attain gains in job performance” (Venkatesh, et. al., 2003 as cited by Li, n.d.). Under this construct are five root constructs which are perceived usefulness, extrinsic motivation, relative advantage, and outcome expectations. According to Davis (1989) as cited by Li (n.d.), the strongest predictor of an individual’s attention to use an IT is perceived usefulness.

The second construct of UTAUT is effort expectancy, which refers to “the degree of ease associated with the use of the system,” (Venkatesh, et. al., 2003 as cited by Li, n.d.). It was used in UTAUT to capture the concepts of perceived ease of use, complexity, and ease of use. Technology acceptance models found out that perceived usefulness, behavior attitude, intention, and actual use was significantly influenced by perceived ease of use (Davis, 1989, as cited by Li, n. d.). Lastly, social influence refers to the “degree to which an individual perceives that important others believe that he or she should use the new system” (Venkatesh, et. al., 2003 as cited by Li, n.d.). The study by Lu et al. (2005) as cited by Li (n.d.) suggested that individual’s perceptions of usefulness and ease of use were influenced by social influences from social networks and the sense of image. Venkatesh, et al. (2003) as cited by Li (n.d.) suggested that social influences are “more likely to be salient to older workers, particularly women, and even then during early stages of experience/adoption.”

User behavior is reflected by the behavior intention of a person. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence affect behavior through behavioral intention whereas; facilitating conditions affect behavior either directly or through behavioral intention (Thompson, et. al., 1991 as cited by Li, n.d). Facilitating conditions was defined by Venkatesh, et. al. (2003) as cited by Li (n.d.) as “the degree to which an individual believes that an organizational and technical infrastructure exists to support use of the system.” Moreover, it was suggested that age and experience of the individual affects the influence of facilitating conditions on usage.

In achieving behavior change, knowledge, approval, intention, practice, and then advocacy are the ideal steps. In knowledge, one must first learn about a new behavior. Approval refers to responding favorably to the new behavior. If one believes that the behavior is beneficial to them, one intends to adopt it. The attempts to try the new behavior and continues doing it is the practice. Lastly, with the experiences and acknowledgement of personal benefits of adopting the new behavior, advocacy is promoting the new behavior through social or professional networks. Conceptual Framework This study adopted the concepts of the UTAUT Theory to understand the IT acceptance and behavior of the inmates in the Maximum Security Compound in the New Bilibid Prison. The knowledge of the inmates on e-Dalaw was viewed as the first step in the Behavior Change Communication continuum. The attitudes of the inmates towards e-Dalaw were reflected on the constructs of UTAUT which are the performance expectancy (perceived usefulness), effort expectancy (perceived ease of use), and social influence (information sources), and also facilitating conditions (policies and material/human resources). These are also viewed as the approval stage in the Behavior Change Communication continuum. Attitudes/approval constitute the behavioral intention factors.

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

Methods

The study was conducted from June 2012 to April 2013 in the Maximum Security Compound, where the e-Dalaw system was piloted in October 2011 in the New Bilibid Prison. Survey research design was used in which self-administered questionnaires were given to 330 inmates, out of 3, 140 inmates in the Maximum Security Compound who used e-Dalaw. Qualitative data were gathered from key informant interviews of three prison officials. Secondary data were collected in the form of the statistical reports on socio-demographics of the inmates. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics (percentages, means, and frequency counts) and Chi-square Test of Independence to determine the relationship of knowledge, attitudes, and practices to socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. Moreover, UTAUT Theory was used to understand the behavior and acceptance of the respondents towards the technological innovation. The practice or usage of e-Dalaw (user behavior) was also analyzed through the Behavior Change Continuum, particularly the progress from knowledge to approval to intention to practice to advocacy. Results and Discussion Respondents’ Socio-demographic Characteristics. Based on the prison record as of February 23, 2013 of the Office of the Overseer, Maximum Security Compound, New Bilibid Prison, a total of 13, 229 inmates were male whose sentences were more than 20 years of imprisonment. The largest portion of the respondents had spent not more than five years of their sentence, were from Luzon, particularly in the National Capital Region, in their thirties, and high school graduates. Most of them were

married and had personal visitations in which most of their visitors were their children followed by their wives. The results of the study conducted by US Department of Health and Human Services in 2009 suggested that when individuals were already in the midst of potentially aging out of crime, living in a married or married-like relationship can be an important source of support upon release from prison. Furthermore, BuCor Director General Gaudencio Pangilinan (personal communication, February 1, 2013) said that inmates who had no visits were likely to be scumbag after release from prison. This implied the importance of family support and relationship in the reformation program of the inmates and in overcoming the problems and challenges the inmates face during their incarceration. The Minnesota Department of Corrections reported in 2011 that prison visitation can improve recidivism outcomes by helping the inmates to not only maintain social ties with their families while incarcerated, but also by developing networks of social support which was important in lowering recidivism. Findings of Minnesota Department of Correction in 2011 showed that the more frequent the inmates received visitation, the less likely they recidivate. Respondents’ Knowledge on e-Dalaw. Inmates may use e-Dalaw every day except on Mondays and holidays for up to 20 minutes. According to BuCor Dir. Gen. Pangilinan (personal communication, February 1, 2013), an inmate can extend his time talking to his families and friends as long as there were only few e-Dalaw users for that particular day. More than half of the respondents (67.30%) had an average score (2-3 points) on the knowledge test composed of questions about the rules on what days and time and how frequent and long they could access e-Dalaw. The results could imply confusion of the inmates, which could be attributed to changes in the rules and regulation to e-Dalaw access, availability of e-Dalaw personnel, and availability, and efficiency of computer units. Results showed that 82.12% of the respondents became aware of e-Dalaw through recommendations from the prison guards and officials, which represented the social influence in UTAUT. Social influences are within the subjective norm, which “has a direct effect on intention through the mechanism of compliance.” The result implied superior influence and mechanisms of compliance. Respondents’ Attitude towards e-Dalaw. The most perceived usefulness in using e-Dalaw was the happiness it brought about either to themselves or their families. According to BuCor Dir. Gen. Pangilinan (personal communication, February 1, 2013), e-Dalaw was introduced in the New Bilibid Prison to help the inmates communicate with their loved ones outside and as a reformation program for the inmates which prepares them in all aspect as they will eventually go back to the society. He further said that e-Dalaw is effective in meeting its purpose if its usage was appreciated by the inmates, that is, giving them happiness and making them feel human.

At 46.97% of the respondents, results showed that large portion of the respondents aw the importance of e-Dalaw in their eventual release (outcome expectation). Outcome expectation is one of the constructs in performance expectancy (Venkatesh, et. al., 2003 as cited by Li, n.d.), which include matters pertaining to the inmates’ higher self-esteem, sense of accomplishment, and feelings of job. Performance expectancy (perceived usefulness and outcome expectation) influences individual behavior intention to use e-Dalaw and actual usage. In terms of perceived ease of use or effort expectancy of e-Dalaw, 84.55% of the respondents found use of e-Dalaw complicated and needed assistance to access e-Dalaw. Effort expectancy, one of the three constructs in UTAUT, is the degree of ease associated with the use of system (Venkatesh, et. al., 2003, as cited by Li, n.d.). Lack of IT knowledge can inhibit computer use (Bure, 2005). However, “it has also been suggested that perceived ease of use is significant in early phases of usage but it slowly becomes less important over time” (Hakkarainen, 2013). Moreover, although results showed that inmates experience difficulty in using e-Dalaw, “usefulness is more strongly linked to usage behavior than ease of use. Although difficulty of use can discourage adoption, no amount of ease of use can compensate for a system that does not perform a useful function” (Hakkarainen, 2013). The result showed that respondents wanted to increase the number of days and time usage of e-Dalaw, number of computer units, and facilitators who will guide the e-Dalaw users. Other needs of the respondents were information, enforcement of the rules and regulations on the use of e-Dalaw, and improvement in e-Dalaw system. Outside of the choices given, the inmates suggested increasing the space for e-Dalaw and improving the ventilation of the e-Dalaw room. These are the facilitating conditions in UTAUT, which are in the environment that can remove barriers of technology acceptance and usage. Facilitating conditions that needed to be improved were material resources like computer units, physical space, Internet access and equipment, and well-ventilated facilities and human resources like facilitators who were knowledgeable of using e-Dalaw. Respondents’ Practices on e-Dalaw. It was found out that 52.73% of the respondents never used e-Dalaw without guidance. According to e-Dalaw Supervisor PG1 Morales (personal communication, March 14, 2013), the volunteer inmates assisted the inmates whenever they used e-Dalaw for their convenience. With the weighted mean of 1.55 (sometimes), this shows that the respondents using e-Dalaw without guidance can eventually lead to their learning of using e-Dalaw on their own. Using the Behavior Change Communication, the results reflected the inmates’ learning or knowledge on how to use e-Dalaw. Majority of the respondents (72.73%) were following the prescribed days in using e-Dalaw. With the weighted mean of 2.69 (always), this means that the respondents followed rules on what days they could use e-Dalaw, which was every week except on Mondays. With the weighted mean of 2.81 (always), majority of the respondents (72.73%) always followed the prescribed time on using e-Dalaw. Adopting the concepts of the Behavior Change Communication, the result showed that by

following prescribed days and time on use of e-Dalaw, majority of the respondents responded favorably, intended to adopt it, and continued doing it.

Table 1. Respondents’ practices on e-Dalaw

Almost half (49.70%) always cut their use of e-Dalaw which means that they followed the rules on the allotted time for every use of e-Dalaw and respected their fellow inmates. With weighted mean of 2.41 (sometimes), the results showed that the respondents were able to sometimes cut their use of e-Dalaw when they exceeded the time limit to give way to other inmates who would also use it. Based on the Behavior Change Communication, the favorable response of the inmates showed their approval, intention to adopt, and attempt to try the behavior. Most of the inmates (75.76%) could always use the equipment in good condition (2.75). Majority of the respondents (54.85%) could use e-Dalaw with good Internet connection, and this happened always as indicated by the weighted mean average of 2.52. Good Internet connection must come hand in hand with availability of equipment in order for the inmates to have positive experience in e-Dalaw use. This becomes significant because slow Internet connection could shorten the limited time allotted for each inmate. Using the Behavior Change Communication, the respondents’ good experience in use of equipment and Internet connection might promote the use of e-Dalaw, which corresponded to the nearly half of the respondents (46.06%) who always shared their knowledge on using e-Dalaw. Most of the respondents always recommended the use e-Dalaw to their relatives (61.52%) and fellow inmates (51.82%). Adopting the Behavior Change

Communication, inmates who were satisfied and acknowledged personal benefits of adopting behavior tended to promote it to their social network, which is the advocacy. Problems Encountered and Recommendations on e-Dalaw. Limited time to use e-Dalaw may be attributed to the only seven computers being used which were not proportionate to the number of inmates who want to use e-Dalaw. Trainings and supervision must be given to those who did not know how to use e-Dalaw. Furthermore, they must be encouraged more to acknowledge the personal benefits of adopting the use of e-Dalaw. The respondents suggested to ask request and further assistance from the BuCor administration, thus to higher budget for e-Dalaw to have additional computer units, increased time usage of e-Dalaw, and good room ventilation, and also to implement strictly the rules and regulation on use of e-Dalaw. The BuCor official (personal communication, February 1, 2013) said that one of the challenges in use of e-Dalaw was the number of inmates who did not know how to use computer. To address this problem, aside from encouraging every inmate to use e-Dalaw, they extended their assistance through work assignment. This was where the role of volunteer inmates came in. These volunteer inmates would look for those who were not visited and would share their knowledge on using computer and the Internet. In return, these volunteer inmates who have work assignment would receive a five-day deduction every month in his sentence, for instance from 35 days of his sentence, it would become 30 days. Relationship of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of the Respondents. Using Chi-square Test of Independence, there was considered a relationship between two variables if p-value was less than 0.05 level of significance. Chi-square results showed that there was a relationship between the respondents’ knowledge and attitude (Table 2). Table 2. Relationship of respondents’ knowledge and attitude towards e-Dalaw

**significant at 5% Specifically, there was a relationship between the respondents’ knowledge and a) acceptance of the importance of e-Dalaw; b) confidence in using e-Dalaw without guidance; c) motivation from others to use e-Dalaw; d) trust on the benefits of using e-Dalaw; and e) sentiments on how to improve the e-Dalaw service. Using the Behavior Change Communication, this referred to the approval or the favorable response to the use of e-Dalaw. This could lead to the intention, practice, and advocacy on the use of e-Dalaw.

There was a significant relationship between the inmates’ knowledge and practices towards e-Dalaw (Table 3). The results indicated the realization of the knowledge-attitudes-practices continuum, thereby establishing that behavior change was reached in terms of knowledge on e-Dalaw, approval (technology acceptance), intention (favorable attitude), practice (usage), and then may lead to advocacy (recommending to others). Table 3. Relationship of respondents’ knowledge and practices of e-Dalaw

**significant at 5% Relationship between Socio-demographic Characteristics and Knowledge, Attitudes, and Knowledge of the Respondents. There was only one socio-demographic characteristic, inmates’ last visitation received, that had significant relationship with knowledge on using e-Dalaw (Table 4). Results showed that last visitation was the most significant factor affecting knowledge on e-Dalaw, indicating that social influence particularly peer influence would be instrumental in achieving the first step in Behavior Change. Although information about e-Dalaw might have primarily came from prison guards and officials (social influence in UTAUT), the knowledge component – details about e-Dalaw or processed information – had been established to be more related with peer influence. Here, the value of last visitation was highlighted in so far as bringing knowledge was concerned.

Table 4. Relationship of respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge on e-Dalaw

*significant at 5% Conclusion. Truly, the potential of e-Dalaw to make possible constant visitation would highlight the role of communication and ICTs in building stronger families and knowledge toward reformation of inmates. As BuCor Director Gen. Pangilinan (personal communication, February 1, 2013) said “Communication is the key to

reformation.” Knowledge according to the Criminal Justice Initiative (2013) is “capable of igniting recovery and redemption, and promoting liberation.” ICTs have important roles nor only in the reformation f inmates but has vast potentials to bring about wider social inclusion. Recommendations. As a benchmark study, collection of qualitative data such as conducting focus group discussions among respondents can be explored. Furthermore, inclusion of inmates in the Minimum and Medium Security Compound as respondents of the study and inclusion of the Correctional Institution for Women for a study on a gendered use of ICT in prison facilities can be explored.

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